Valrhona Fudge Cakes

Finally got to blog about these at All My Sugar :) Click on the link for the recipe!

Happy Valentine's Day!

This sweet vanilla cupcake topped with a rich, creamy swirl of Valrhona chocolate butter frosting will make your heart swoon and make you fall in love with life itself!

For this, I referenced the recipe in my "Cupcakes a la NYC" post (also at Allmysugar.com). They're inspired by Magnolia Bakery's vanilla-chocolate cupcakes, or even Eleni's—both in New York.

Because I forgot to get some at the grocery earlier, I substituted the melted unsweetened chocolate originally called for with the Valrhona cocoa powder I already had in the pantry. Unfortunately, I didn't measure it out and just kept adding cocoa by the spoonfuls to the frosting, until it tasted just about right. I'd say about five tablespoons, but let your tastebuds be the judge :)

Have a sweet Valentine's Day! With love from NYC :)

Mushroom Stroganoff

Nice and easy: Mushroom Stroganoff recipe by Alton Brown.

Link to recipe: Foodnetwork.com

I just made this and so far, it turned out yummy. I used regular onions instead of the green onions originally called for. Also, I halved the recipe—give or take a few ounces of certain ingredients (i.e. mushrooms, egg noodles).

Two suggested tweaks:

• Add red pepper flakes when heating up the butter (also in the bowl, when serving)
• Add thyme while sautéing the mushrooms

And this completes the 30-day Blog Challenge, woohoo!

Will share my thoughts on this year’s Challenge in another post :)

Happy weekend, everyone!


Mariel Jimenez | 30-day Blog Challenge 2013 | Day 30

1, 2, 3…Gnocchi!

Georgeous dumplings: chewy and delicious with this homemade gorgonzola sauce!

If you love gorgonzola cheese, then this dish is for you. It’s unbelievably easy too—you can make it in 20 minutes flat. If you’ve never had gnocchi, its chewy texture paired with the savory combination of garlic, toasted walnuts, creamy gorgonzola, will perhaps make you fall in love. Dip a soft or crusty hunk of bread in the velvety sauce, and you’ve got yourself a winner.

You’ll need:

(Serves one)

• 3/4 cup gnocchi (this looks like too little but trust me, once it cooks and mixed in with the other ingredients, it’s hefty)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• half a teaspoon of crushed garlic (more if you like) 
• a handful of walnuts (option to chop, crush them with your fist, or just mash them with a wooden spoon as you’re making the dish)
• 3 tablespoons of crumbled gorgonzola (more if you like)
• 1/2 cup milk

Sauté until edges of gnocchi are ever-so-slightly browned

Directions:

1. Cook gnocchi according to package directions—which simply means, boil water, add salt, add gnocchi, and fish them out once they float to the surface. Save 1/3 cup of the cooking liquid for later (this will help create a thick, yummy, creamy sauce).
2. On medium low heat, warm the olive oil then add the garlic (don’t let it brown).
3. Up the heat to medium and sauté the walnuts until toasted, and add the cooked gnocchi.
   
4. Toss in the gorgonzola, and as it melts, add the milk, then the pasta water. Season to taste and turn off the heat once sauce starts to thicken.
5. Serve in a bowl, top with cracked black pepper and crumbles of gorgonzola.

Gnocchi in a creamy gorgonzola sauce cooked with garlic and walnuts.

Note: As I’ve mentioned in the intro, you MUST have a hunk of bread to dip into the sauce; it’s part of the experience. Glass of wine is optional :) Enjoy!

Mariel Jimenez | 30-day Blog Challenge 2013 | Day 23

Linguine con le Vongole

Linguine con le Vongole made easy, thanks to Trader Joe’s Steamer Clams :) 

Recipe from Tyler Florence on Foodnetwork.com.

Mariel Jimenez | 30-day Blog Challenge 2013 | Day 18

CCKT One-Minute Chocolate Cake, Revisited

Yes, you can make a messy, gooey, single-(or double)serve chocolate cake in your microwave!

Back in August, I blogged about vegan dessert blogger Chocolate Covered Katie’s One Minute Chocolate Cake recipe, over at my food blog, All My Sugar. It’s unbelievably easy and you actually make it in a microwave oven—a-mazing!

I think Katie has a note about not reposting her recipes verbatim, so please click on the link above if you’re interested in the full recipe.

My modifications:

• regular 2% milk instead of almond milk

• 2 tbsp spelt flour and 1 tbsp of all-purpose flour (instead of spelt all the way)

• melted butter instead of vegetable oil

• added a splash of coffee to the batter

For the frosting, I poured a handful of chocolate chips into a small microwavable glass bowl, added a splash of milk, and microwaved it for a minute. This served as my instant-ganache frosting. Again, super-duper easy!

Oh, and I doubled the recipe to make two little cakes in two little ramekins. :)

Mariel Jimenez | 30-day Blog Challenge 2013 | Day 16

The Seventeen Tofu Stir-fry

I learned this recipe during my early days working at Seventeen Magazine. One of my former editors, now great friend, Lille Bose, came up with it.

Red pepper flakes, garlic, cilantro, and chili powder create a spicy-savory kick to this dish. I haven’t made it in years…so I forgot that it also called for tomatoes. Luckily, I had leftover canned tomatoes from when I made Puttanesca :)

You’ll need:

• a 14-oz pack of tofu (397 g)
• lots of garlic, roughly chopped (ideally, you get a piece of garlic with every bite)
• red pepper flakes (as much or as little as you want, but do not skip it)
• chili powder
• one large tomato, sliced into bite-size pieces (or more, if you like)
• bunch of cilantro, lightly chopped (this originally called for our native kintsay)
• olive oil and butter
• salt, pepper, and sugar to taste
• lemon juice, optional

Directions:

1. Slice tofu lengthwise so you can brown all sides on a non-stick skillet. Use a tiny bit of oil and butter for this. Once tofu is firm and browned, slice into cubes. (Alternatively, slice tofu into cubes right away and bake in a 350-degree F oven for about 10 minutes or until firm.
   
   Note: Do your best to buy organic tofu. The GMO stuff is creepy.
2. Heat a teaspoon of olive oil and a slice of butter on medium low. Add the red pepper flakes until warmed through, then add garlic.
   
3. When garlic is nearly browned, add tofu. Toss in hot oil and sprinkle with chili powder. Season with salt, pepper, and a little bit of sugar. Squeeze a little lemon juice, if desired.
   
4. Add tomato pieces and sauté to desired softness. Add half of the chopped cilantro. Turn off heat, and add the remaining cilantro and toss.
   
5. Transfer to a bowl and serve with hot rice. Enjoy!

Mariel Jimenez | 30-day Blog Challenge 2013 | Day 12

Puttanesca, Revisited

Mariel Jimenez | 30-day Blog Challenge 2013 | Day 10

In The Kitchen

Churning out sweet and savory treats :)

Now that we've settled into our new home, I've had more time to tinker about in the kitchen. So far, I've made:

Banana Walnut Muffins…

Buttermilk Biscuits…

 …and Hazelnut Brownies!

Read about the biscuits at All My Sugar, and tune in for the rest of the recipes—will blog about them soon!

Easy Gnocchi

DAY 25

of the 30-Day Blog Challenge, 2011

Gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce and broccoli

Here's a super-easy recipe to try for the weekend. I started making gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce a while back, and this year, I've made it with broccoli for a veggie kick. Believe me when I say that this dish featuring the chewy, savory potato dumplings takes less than 20 minutes to make. Walnuts give this dish its heartiness and touch of crunch.

You'll need:
2 tsp olive oil
minced garlic (as much or as little as you want)
2 to 3 walnuts, chopped (you won't need much)
1/2 cup to 1 cup cooked gnocchi (see instructions below)
gorgonzola crumbles (as much or as little as you want)
milk
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes (optional)

Boiling instructions:
Follow package directions, which will most likely tell you to boil some water in a pot. If you're doing just one or two servings, you won't need much. The gnocchi is ready when each one floats to the top. Drain and set aside. Reserve a little bit of the water to add to the sauce.

1) Sauté garlic in olive oil until fragrant. Do not overbrown. Add walnuts.

2) Toss in gnocchi and cook for a minute or two, until slightly toasted.

3) Add gorgonzola cheese crumbles and cook until slightly melted.

4) Stir in milk and pasta water and simmer until saucy.

5) Serve in a bowl with crusty bread for dunking in the cheesy sauce.

You may have noticed that I didn't include the broccoli in the above instructions. There are many ways to add it in. First, you can add florets at the sauté stage. Second, you can pre-blanch/boil the broccoli in the water you used for the gnocchi. Third, you can cover the florets with a damp paper towel and microwave for a minute.

Buon appetito!

Cupcakes a la NYC

Easy to make, easy to eat!

Once you get past the novelty and nostalgia of eating cupcakes from the famous Magnolia Bakery in the West Village (or in any of the branches that have cropped up all over town, for that matter), your taste buds would promptly determine how sickeningly sweet the little cakes are.

That said, the cloying qualities of said sugar bombs have not stopped me from reaching for one every now and then. It's the sweet equivalent of craving KFC—unadulterated and greasy—when nothing else would hit the spot.

I recently stumbled upon a Magnolia-esque bakeshop at the Chelsea Market called Eleni's, where I got to order a vanilla cupcake covered in chocolate buttercream frosting. Their version is sweet enough (not too much), creamy, and perfectly portioned for the walk from the store to the subway. It was definitely a delicious moment...so much so that I continued to fixate on the choco-vanilla combo for two days, prompting me to take the cupcake plunge: I had to make my own.

Mmm...

If you Google "vanilla cupcakes with chocolate frosting" you will come across similar versions of the recipe I've listed here. There are two major-nice things to note about churning your own sweet treats. One, you know exactly what goes in and you can use premium ingredients (you know how I feel about vegetable shortening, blech!). Two, it's way way cheaper!

Most recipes call for either cake flour or self-rising flour—both of which are easy to substitute with all-purpose flour. For every cup of cake flour you need, combine two tablespoons of cornstarch and AP flour in one measuring cup. To make your own self-rising flour, add 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt to one cup of AP flour. The recipe below is a modified version featuring the latter.

More important than the flour you use is actually the method with which you combine the ingredients. As in the case of making any type of fluffy cake, be careful to not overmix the batter. I paraphrase Good Eats host Alton Brown in saying that overbeating the batter produces gluten—the stretchy protein strands that render your finished product chewy  and "not good eats."

Here's an extra-pretty batch!

Cupcakes a la NYC
(a.k.a. Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting)

You'll need:

1/2 cup (one stick) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

(You may refer to the original recipe using cake flour here.)

Cookies!

Dig in!

My excuse for only having baked twice in the last six months in my New York apartment is, like many small kitchens in this big city, people store pots and pans inside the oven (even more likely when one has roommates). Hence, the laziness to get everything out and churn a goodie or two.

The other day, however, I realized how not big of a deal this is, for as long as the cookware is stacked in a certain way. I now recall an article from back in 2008 written by Mark Bittman of The New York Times, "So Your Kitchen Is Tiny. So What?" wherein he talked about his 7 x 6 ft. cooking space. "It has a moderate-size refrigerator, what was once considered a full-size stove (as opposed to the compact "apartment-size" stove or the monsters recently gaining popularity), annoyingly little counter and storage space (yes, I sometimes must remove the stored pots and pans before using the oven), and even a small dishwasher."

After having written the piece, Bittman received a flurry of emails questioning how someone like himself—an author of cookbooks and a columnist for the Times—could subsist on such modest square-footage.

"Interestingly, none of the queries, condolences, and commiserations came from women born before World War II, women (whom I often describe loosely if unfairly as “grandmothers”) who grew up learning how to cook from their grandmothers. They know that it’s fully possible to cook just about anything just about anywhere, with just about any equipment at hand."

Bittman further writes, "No calls came from chefs, either, or from fellow food writers. They, too, know that when it comes to kitchens, size and equipment don’t count nearly as much as devotion, passion, common sense and, of course, experience. To pretend otherwise—to spend tens of thousands of dollars or more on a kitchen before learning how to cook, as is sadly common—is to fall into the same kind of silly consumerism that leads people to believe that an expensive gym membership will get them into shape or the right bed will improve their sex life. As runners run and writers write, cooks cook, under pretty much any circumstance."

You can read the full article here.

Now, no matter where one lives—big kitchen, small kitchen, Mom's kitchen—perhaps the easiest thing one could whip up in an oven are chocolate chip cookies. They're ready in 30 minutes flat, or even less. I posted two recipes at AllMySugar.com. Tip: Halve either of the two recipes for a super-quick batch that makes about four dozen tiny cookies (use a tablespoon or a very small ice cream scoop to measure and distribute the dough evenly).

Last and definitely not the least, I've also finally blogged about my Milk Chocolate and Marshmallow Cornflake Cookies! As I've mentioned in this post, they're featured in the new book, One Big Table: A Portrait of American Cooking, written by former New York Times food columnist, Molly O'Neill. Talk about sweet and exciting!

Eating Well

I particularly enjoyed reading my friend Frances's recent blog post, "Market Day" wherein she talks about how one didn't have to have a lot of money in order to eat well. "I don't really buy into the excuse that poverty equals poor food and nutrition," she shares. "My grandmother lived through the terrible war and she taught me a lot of tricks on how to eat well even if you have just three ingredients." And, she's not talking about ramen noodles.

It's true what Frances said: You don't need plenty of cash to eat well. It's just easier if you did—because you don't have to be extra discerning about where you do your grocery shopping and the cost of food and its preparation. That's just about it. For example, instead of buying, washing, and processing your own produce and fruit, you can buy them pre-washed and pre-cut, usually in fancy plastic containers. If money weren't an object, you could hire a personal chef (just like a superstar), or order those healthy delivery meals—or even something as posh as the Blueprint Cleanse.

The reason why I could still afford to shop at specialty stores and wouldn't think twice about walking into Zabar's and the like—despite having limited funds at the moment—is because I also shop at Key Food in the Bronx and make it a point to buy from fruit stands. Now, if I were more liquid, I wouldn't probably go to three different places to get three different things (or go to Chinatown to buy a pound of fresh cherries), I would probably just do Freshdirect and order my organic eggs, milk and all online, and then pay for delivery costs.

While I do acknowledge the novelty of going through a ramen-noodles-phase—a rite of passage of sorts if you will—eventually, one must explore wiser food choices. It can actually be fun, and again, affordable. Notice that the more fresh produce you place in your shopping basket, the lower your bill is at the cashier. I get a kick out of this, actually.

Mmm...

Here, I've compiled a list of items that make the most out of your cash on hand. Call them staples, call them building blocks, bottomline is, you get value for your money and maximum benefits to your health. (And maybe, just maybe, you'll have some cash left for a delightful pint/tub of ice cream.)

About All My Sugar

One of the reasons I put off blogging for so long, aside from a sense of overwhelm and amazement surrounding my recent wedding, was that I also couldn't decide between moving to a new blog address, AllMySugar.com, or staying here at NyMinuteNow.com, business as usual. On one hand, I felt that I was outgrowing this space, and it didn't help that I've been barely in NYC this past year. And on the other hand, this blog has made so many ties online and offline that moving web addresses almost feels like actually moving offices, or even houses. From the customized sidebars, blogging series, to of course, the posts themselves...there is so much history here.

Read about these lovely hand-cut noodles at AllMySugar.com :)

So by the looks of it, I'll be writing my food-related entries there, in the same way I started posting my beauty articles at BeautyintheBigApple.com.

Think of it as spring-cleaning my online life, or opening up a new home for these thoughts that I like to share with the world, or for a handful of friends who check in every now and then. Also, as my Yummy.ph blog features all baking-related posts, I can use the new space to talk about the other things I make that don't require an oven. I'll also channel all my Mystic Pizza dreams and talk about places where they serve good (or bad) food, have great (or not so great) service, and so forth. We'll see how it goes!

Perfecting Blueberry Muffins

[Reposting from "Baked!" at Yummy.ph ("Perfect Muffins") January 21, 2010]

Perfectly domed muffins require precise ingredient measurements and
the right oven temperature.

If there’s one baked treat that has proven to be the most elusive, I would say it would be muffins—blueberry ones, in particular. Sure, in the past I’ve made banana chocolate chip "muffins" from a basic banana bread recipe; or even airy chiffon vanilla cupcakes, but those are quite different from the honest-to-goodness breakfast domes—perfectly crusty outside, cakey and crumbly inside—that we all look forward to in coffee shops and bakeries.

It has taken me a year to finally come up with blueberry muffins I would be proud to share with the world. After dozens of flat, sunken disasters, I’ve deduced that there are two essential things a home baker must have when broaching the crusty/cakey-dome territory: a kitchen weighing scale and an oven thermometer.

For two reasons: One, a good weighing scale—ideally digital with a ‘zero’ button—ensures precise proportions of ingredients, in the same way as using measuring spoons for baking powder and baking soda help achieve perfect leavening balance in the recipe.

Two, just as one would tediously measure dry and wet ingredients, one should also factor in the right oven temperature. In the recipe I’d modified below, "Good Eats" host Alton Brown recommends preheating the oven to 380°F and raising the heat to 400°F upon placing muffins inside the oven. This temp-tango is achievable with the use of an oven thermometer. And even if one’s kitchen is equipped with an electric oven, a proper temperature reading helps a baker gauge oven calibration and watch out for maintenance or repair requirements.

Good news is, these two initially unnecessary kitchen gadgets aren’t ultra-pricey investments: My thermometer from Landmark cost less than P400, and the digital scale from the department store set me back around P980—worth the mini-splurge considering a can of Comstock blueberries from the grocery, or a bag of frozen ones from Healthy Options are way too precious to be tossed in the trash if the muffins fall flat or form undesirable concave dips in the middle.

That said, baking truly is a numbers game. But for every patient participant, the rewards can be very fulfilling—and delicious.

Blueberry Muffins

Yield 12 medium-sized muffins or 6 extra-large ones Prep Time 15 minutes Baking Time 15 to 20 minutes


1 cup plain yogurt (or two 125-gram packs of Nestle Creamy yogurt)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 small egg

6.25 ounce cake flour
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup blueberries (or 1 can of Comstock blueberries, drained); reserve 1/4 cup for the topping


1 Use a fine sieve or a regular strainer lined with cheese cloth to drain extra liquid from yogurt. You’ll end up with about half a cup of thick yogurt. Set aside.

2 Preheat oven to 380°F. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan with oil or cooking spray, or use cupcake liners for easy removal and cleanup.

3 In a medium bowl, sift all dry ingredients together and discard tiny leftover lumps.

4 In a large bowl, blend yogurt, vegetable oil, sugar, and egg until pale yellow. You can either use a hand mixer or large whisk for this.

5 Add dry ingredients and stir for exactly 10 counts. Do not overmix or you’ll end up with holes—or ‘tunnels’—inside the muffins. Gently fold in 1/2 cup of blueberries into the batter for 3 counts and stop immediately. (Don’t worry about the flecks of flour, they’ll disappear during baking.)

6 Pour batter into muffin cups and top each one with a small mound of berries. Place in the oven and raise temperature to 400°F.

7 Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Turn pan around after seven minutes to distribute heat evenly. Muffins are ready when a toothpick inserted comes out clean or lightly crumbed.

8 Let muffins cool inverted on a parchment paper-lined wire rack. Store in a Ziploc bag in room temperature for the first two days, and transfer to the refrigerator if storing longer.

My latest 'baby'

So my dear friend Frances is expecting, and awaiting the arrival of her little bundle, Jelly Bean. Meanwhile, I am far from bearing offspring and my version of nesting is being in the kitchen and churning out sweet goodies and savory treats. My latest 'baby' is the cake above, the Chocolate Cake with Fleur de Sel Caramel Filling & Dark Chocolate Ganache by David Lawrence only my version has none of the posh french salt—just a few pinches of good old iodized salt—but everything else is to the letter. It took me three-plus hours to make: from the the caramel filling (which is already excellent by itself), chocolate cakes (two layers), frosting (a dark chocolate ganache), and I must say it was well worth it.

Sharing this happy mound of chocolate-caramel goodness to the world! And I'm so not the type to keep recipes secret, click HERE to view the video from GoodBite.com, a site a stumbled upon last year while looking for caramel and custard fillings online. It's about four minutes long, but the actual cake takes much, much longer to make. That's not to say you won't have fun with it :)

Polka Dot Brownies

[Reposting from "Baked!" at Yummy.ph, January 2010]


These triple chocolate brownies culled and customized from a Nigella Lawson recipe found on YouTube are perfect for a classic Pinoy New Year’s celebration, following the age-old ‘requirement’ of donning polka dots and having round-shaped food at the table to help channel abundance in the coming year. As for me, I forgot to wear polka dots on New Year’s Eve, but fortunately, I was able to make these delightful cocoa squares dotted with creamy buttons of white chocolate way before the clock struck midnight. These brownies leave a particularly sweet type of fireworks in your mouth and are surprisingly, very, very easy to make. Here’s the recipe.

You'll need:

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (or four squares of Baker’s Semisweet Chocolate)
1 1/2 sticks (or 12 tablespoons) unsalted butter
3 eggs
1/2 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup white chocolate chips, plus a handful for topping

Makes 16 brownie squares. Prep Time 5 minutes. Baking Time 20 to 25 minutes.

1 Preheat oven at 350°F. Melt bittersweet chocolate squares and butter over low heat, or in a tempered glass bowl set over simmering water.

Good butter and chocolate: building blocks of decadent brownies.

2 Remove from heat and let melted chocolate cool for a few minutes. Add eggs one at a time, stirring completely with every addition. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon. Do not overmix.

Add eggs for a silky-smooth, chocolatey batter.

3 Pour brownie batter onto a square pan (the disposable aluminum ones from the supermarket work well) lined with parchment paper for easy removal once done. Sprinkle top with white chocolate chips and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Tip: White chocolate chips aren’t always available in the supermarket, so stock up and keep them in the freezer.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Mariel Chua is already planning the next batch of brownies and other baked goodies to give away to family and friends.

Calamansi-milk Breakfast Biscuits

[Reposting from "Baked!" at Yummy.ph, December 7, 2009]

Start your day with a batch of soft, flaky, buttery biscuits.

Since October, I've made several batches of buttermilk biscuits, mostly on weekends. They're great for breakfast—with tart orange marmalade and fluffy scrambled eggs—or for random snacking—plain or with strawberry jam.

Buttermilk is relatively easy to find in big grocery stores in the U.S. In Manila on the other hand, a quick Google search yielded me the following (very ingenious and convenient) substitutes:

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar plus enough milk to make one cup; let stand for 5 to 10 minutes.

• 1 cup milk and 1 3/4 tablespoons cream of tartar

• yogurt or sour cream


As in the first case, instead of lemon, today I experimented with calamansi juice. And so far, the results have turned out great, nothing strange or extremely funky and sour—just flaky, buttery rounds of breakfast goodness.

Here's the Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuit recipe from Ina Garten, which I normally use:
[source: FoodNetwork.com ]

2 cups all-purpose flour; add more as needed for the board
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt (or 1 teaspoon iodized salt)
12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced
½ cup cold buttermilk, shaken
1 cold extra large egg
1 cup grated extra sharp Cheddar
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water or milk
sea salt, optional

(Note: The original instructions call for a mixer. Below is the modified version easily done by hand.)

1 Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a metal sheet pan with parchment paper (or the locally available, Glad Cook ‘n Bake).

2 Place 2 cups of flour, the baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Using hands, work in the diced butter into the dry mix until the butter is the size of peas.

3 In a small cup, lightly combine the buttermilk and egg. Pour the wet mixture onto the flour-and-butter mixture only until moistened (you’ll most likely have a little extra liquid left).

4 In a small bowl, mix the Cheddar with a small handful of flour and add this to the dough until roughly combined.

5 Dump out onto a well-floured board and knead lightly about six times. Roll the dough out until about half an inch thick throughout. Cut out rounds with a biscuit cutter, or slice even-sized rectangles using a sharp, floured knife. Transfer onto sheet pan and brush the tops with the egg wash; sprinkle with salt if desired.

6 Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until biscuits are browned and cooked through (for a smaller batch, lessen baking time). Serve hot or warm and store in zip-top bags or in an airtight container.

For shiny tops, brush dough rounds with egg wash before baking.

Mariel Chua is Yummy.ph's official baking blogger. For breakfast, she scrambles eggs in hot olive oil sprinkled with red pepper flakes. To finish, she grates Cheddar cheese on top while the eggs are still steaming hot. On random occasions, she uses Gorgonzola.

(Orange marmalade photo courtesy of Smuckers.com)

Lemon Vanilla Caramel Cake

[Reposting from "Baked!" at Yummy.ph, November 2009]

I must admit, I’ve made cakes in the past that have lingered quite a bit in the kitchen, uneaten. But this lemon vanilla caramel cake wasn’t one of them. It was gone within three days of baking, filling, and frosting it.

It’s also fun to make. The steps may come across as tedious (as with anything that involves folding fluffy egg whites into batter) but honestly, the least enjoyable part will probably be the first thing you have to do when making a cake, which is cut rounds of parchment paper to line the bottom of the pans with, and buttering all sides. I find this part of baking anti-climactic yet essential. Once you get that out of the way—don’t forget to preheat the oven—the baking process is quite soft and relaxing, just like the two spongey white cakes you come up with.

What sweet dreams are made of

This cake is a combination of two recipes, plus a lemony tweak I picked up from watching Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa. The base is a white cake recipe from Martha Stewart, and the caramel filling is from a Fleur de Sel (a special flaky salt from France) chocolate cake recipe from GoodBite.com. A quick Google search will yield video results for all of the above. Out of convenience, I've taken to culling recipes from all sorts of websites, versus getting them from cookbooks.

This lemon vanlla caramel cake can also easily transform to cupcakes. I would suggest using a melon baller to make a small hole on top to fill with caramel, before frosting the top with your marshmallow icing of choice. Personally I love watching egg whites transform into fluffy white frosting, so I don't mind making it from scratch. Here's the quick recipe I follow, also from Martha Stewart:

Seven Minute Frosting
[Source: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/perfect-seven-minute-frosting]

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
6 large egg whites
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 In the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer set over a saucepan of simmering water, combine sugar, corn syrup, water, and egg whites. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 2 minutes.

2 Attach bowl to a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat mixture on high speed until glossy and voluminous, about 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Use immediately.

You'll have a lot of extra frosting left to eat from the bowl. Enjoy!

Tell me: What's your favorite cake? Please feel free to comment and share!

Seven Easy Ways to Stay Slim

No pressure: Find an easy, breezy food and fitness combo that works for you.

Ever since that year I’d uncannily gained 15 extra pounds (it took a year to shed them), I thought I’d completely resolved my body issues and have learned to be happy with what I weighed. Because when I did get fat, only then did I realize I was thin before after all.

Except that from time to time, I still get bothered by superficial concerns like how my belly spills over my jeans, or how my already chubby cheeks have become more pronounced in the last few years.

I understand with women, it’s a constant struggle to accept and appreciate—or even love—what we were born with, all the physiological facets and contours that make each form unique.

I’ve picked up some strategies throughout the years to help combat the body blahs, whether it’s that puson [paunch] that makes you look pregnant, or those stubborn five pounds that seem more noticeable during that time of the month. I’ve learned to turn to them whenever I need a nudge or just overall accept the present and, as much as I would like to look (and weigh) like my 22-year-old self, my priority these days should be to be healthy and enjoy life and its multitude of culinary delights. And if you’re lazy like me, scanning—and following—these tips should be a piece of cake.

1. Start Small

I was a former athlete and I now live a sedentary life. And the thought of exercising just makes me want to be even more sedentary. I bet this is a common dilemma. My solution is to start really small: as in something so miniscule and seemingly irrelevant that it doesn’t put pressure on you to charge full steam ahead in terms of going to the gym and getting on the fitness bandwagon.

The other day I decided to get on a treadmill for exactly five minutes. That's right: five minutes of leisurely walking, no more, no less. I was literally still in my sleepwear and just slipped on my rubber shoes.

It doesn't even have to be a treadmill: you could grab a jump rope, do one push-up here, a crunch there. As the days go by and at your own pace, add little increments to your routine of choice. Before you know it, five minutes on the treadmill becomes seven, and then 10; one crunch and push-up becomes a set of 12. And surprise! You're actually…working out!

But if you’re still not ready to get off the couch just yet, skip to the next step…

2. Make Like The French

I had a Parisian colleague who stayed thin throughout the time I’d worked with her. And no, she didn’t obsess about what she ate or how often she exercised. In fact, she signed up for the company gym but only ended up going once a month. She would eat a croissant for breakfast at her desk daily, and almost everyday, she and I went to the same lunch buffet line in the cafeteria. One time, she even invited me to her apartment to dinner where she made pasta with cream and salad, which we enjoyed with glasses of wine and hunks of bread.

I know genetics plays a big part in how our body morphs (or dismorphs), but what I noticed with the French (at least from this one person I’d befriended) is that they eat in moderation and enjoy exquisite things and aren’t likely to binge on them. They have cheese with every meal, but not slabs of it. They have dessert with lunch, but not the whole cake. Realizing—and then copying—this manner of eating, I noticed that I rarely feel deprived (or worse: guilty) for indulging.

So if you’re craving for ice cream and cake, don’t skimp by going low-fat or diet. Get the real thing and don’t torture yourself into thinking that you’re never ever going to have more of it afterwards. Just feel welcome and entitled to the food you love to eat. You’ll be surprised that this tactic actually makes you eat less.

3. Take It From Chin-Chin

I met the actress, Chin-Chin Gutierrez, at a shoot a few years ago. Both vegetarians at the time (I now eat chicken; I think she’s still vegetarian), we got to talking about food and nutrition. She mentioned a particular sequence of eating and a theory that made sense and to this day I still try to follow: She said to start a meal with something raw, like fresh fruit or a crisp salad. Since these are natural products, our bodies recognize them easily and our stomachs produce enzymes that help digest food and whatever comes next in the meal.

That versus the usual way of eating something hot and cooked, and having fruit for dessert. From what I remember, this is how she explained it: “The hot meal has already been processed so it ‘surprises’ your belly. So by the time you introduce fruit for dessert, the enzymes go into overdrive and that’s when you get gas.”

Again, this is just a theory, but I like the idea of prepping your belly to digest food more efficiently (and well, yes, have less gas in the process).

4. A Little Green Tea (Goes A Long Way)

I’ve heard before that Oprah was a staunch believer in the metabolism-boosting benefits of green tea. And I’ve seen people lose weight from taking concentrated green tea supplements. Now, I’m averse to anything in pill form unless it’s Claritin, Tempra, or Vitamin C, so freshly-brewed green tea is fine by me.

I actually started drinking tea not because of Oprah or those people who have lost weight, but rather, I quit going to Starbucks that year I started paying rent. I had to improvise and budget my money strategically, so home- (or office) made green tea it was for me.

Since I also happen to love dessert, I try to make it a point to wash it all down with tea—hot or cold, with little or no sugar especially when I’m already eating something sweet. I go as far as carry my own packets for when I’m being a cheapskate and just order hot water in restaurants.

5. Look Up!

Just like those ballerinas and dancers: It’s all about posture and form. Standing tall gives the illusion of a leaner, longer body. So if you find yourself staring at your belly, that means you’re not holding your head up high and you’re most likely slouching. Remember: It’s also about confidence. And the neatest part about confidence is that you can "fake it ’til you make it."

6. The Abs Diet

Some people have found fitness success in the South Beach Diet, or even Atkins. Personally, these programs have failed for me for the sole reason that they require one to give up sugar (and carbohydrates) for the first two weeks.

Now, I live and breathe sugar. Not a day goes by when I don't have a piece of chocolate or anything sweet. During previous Lenten Seasons, I chose to abstain from dessert or chocolate on Fridays, only to find myself waiting for midnight to have a piece of chocolate. I know it defeats the whole purpose of sacrificing and abstaining from something. But you get the drift.

Anyway, what worked for me that year I gained all that weight (that I still try to follow to this day) was the Abs Diet [Rodale] by US Men's Health editor, David Zinczenko. I went straight for the spin-off book, Eat Right Every Time Guide, because it was so small and undaunting. But boy, was it a treasure trove of easy, practical information that has helped keep the weight off, give or take a few pounds.

What I love about the Abs Diet is that it isn't really a ‘diet,’ but more of a lifestyle program that tells you what you have to eat MORE of, not the other way around, as in the case of other eating plans. The core of the program is the ABS DIET POWER 12, which stands for:

Almonds and other nuts
Beans and legumes
Spinach and other green vegetables

Dairy (fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, cheese)
Instant oatmeal (unsweetened, unflavored)
Eggs
Turkey and other lean meats

Peanut butter
Olive oil
Whole grain breads and cereals
Extra-protein (whey) powder
Raspberries and other berries

You only read the book once and you're pretty much set. No need to count calories or remember certain carbohydrates that are allowed or not allowed. Just eat often (Zinczenko recommends six times a day) and sensibly from the list above. Easy, right?

The small book also discusses fastfood options for when you’re on the go, plus easy MICROWAVEABLE breakfasts you can take with you to work or for those hectic days when the last thing you want to think about is your diet. After all, diet culprits are triggered by those hunger pangs when you can't think straight that you just reach for the next sugar bomb or grease grenade to quell the hunger…or mindlessly chow down lunch in front of the computer.

Zinczenko also addresses the issue of belly fat in the book (as the title suggests). “[This] is the most dangerous kind of fat. That’s because belly fat often comprises both subcutaneous fat (fat that’s under your skin) and visceral fat (fat that lies beneath your stomach muscles, snug up against your internal organs). It’s this second type, visceral fat, which can cause some long-term harm,” he explains.

“In one report, researchers concluded that visceral fat is the single-best predictor of diabetes.” Other studies also link that extra fat on your midsection as an indicator for high cholesterol and heart problems down the line. “Shedding fat from your frame is essential to living long and healthy,” says Zinczenko. So beware.

Anyway, if that doesn’t get you picking up the Abs Diet, just know that on it, you get to eat ice cream(!) AND lose weight at the same time! Not kidding.

7. Celebrate The Non-negotiables

Now, back to genetics: there are some things you can’t change unless you’re willing to go through the hassle of plastic surgery. In my case, I’ve always had a belly and paunch, even way back in high school when I only weighed as much Nicole Richie. The puson is just in the family.

It has crossed my mind several times to get liposuction (or mesotherapy injections), even on my cheeks or arms. But then again, I know that after lipo, the fat you do accumulate could show up in really odd places—like the armpits. I don’t think I’m ready to hop on that roller coaster. Plus, over the summer I’ve had some lumps on my breasts surgically removed; it wasn’t the most delightful experience and I promised I’d never ever go through surgery for the sake of vanity: It’s just not worth the pain and stress for me.

Besides, understanding your own unique contours and lovely lady parts makes fashion a more enjoyable undertaking full of promising surprises. Can you imagine what fun it is to find the perfect floral dress that accentuates your curves, or that skirt that emphasizes your behind in the most flattering of ways? If you’re considering cosmetic surgery, I suggest splurging on a new wardrobe instead and a night on the town with your best girlfriends. (And don’t forget the cake!)

Disclaimer: Before trying any new diet, eating plan, or exercise regimen, consult with your physician.

Part of this month's Cosmo Series, 15th of 16 posts also published at Cosmo.ph.

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